Machinery, automation, personnel

Now that drilling is soon to be under way in the deepwater portion of the Gulf of Mexico, the industry is getting back to business. New regulations on drilling equipment and processes will require more maintenance and safeguarding than ever before. One trend that will continue to improve drilling operations for years to come is the ongoing effort to automate as much of the process as possible to ensure safe, timely operations are carried out successfully. In 2009, SPE/IADC’s annual Drilling Conference held its first collaborative technical session to discuss drilling...